


Breaking the Chains

by awindoffreedom



Category: Sonic the Hedgehog (Video Games)
Genre: Anger, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Nightmares, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Violence, Vomiting
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-01
Updated: 2020-07-21
Packaged: 2021-02-26 04:01:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,265
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21637069
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/awindoffreedom/pseuds/awindoffreedom
Summary: It's set two years after Forces and everybody is still dealing with the traumatic memories from the war. Not everybody's trauma is visible but everything will eventually bubble up to the surface and no doubt, everyone will realise nobody had escaped the war unharmed.
Relationships: Vanilla the Rabbit/Vector the Crocodile
Comments: 3
Kudos: 48





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Has Sonic gotten over what happened to him two years ago? Haha nope.

Sonic hadn’t always been _this_ scared of changing the future.

The hedgehog was always about trying to change it. After the events of the war with Eggman and his army, Sonic wondered a lot whether he could’ve done something differently or not to prevent the war from ever happening.

What if he had fought some more against Infinite and the other fakes? What if they had gotten wind of Eggman’s plans sooner than when they actually caught notice of it? What if Sonic had actually been where Tails and the citizens were before the attack?

Not once did he ever blame anybody else. It was always himself. Never another. Him. He truly believed he was the reason as to why the war happened.

Because he was weak.

It terrified him for a long time during his traumatic recovery. He had gone through several rounds of breakdowns, crying spells, mood swings and screaming about the six months of torture he had gone through while being captured on the Death Egg during the war.

Now, two years after the war, and Sonic had grown a lot from his past. However, the trauma of the war had not faded away. Maybe a little, but it was still evident by the way he reacted to the anniversary of the war, or whenever he saw a documentary about it on the TV.

Often, he’d have to leave the room. He was always frightened of emotionally hurting those he loved from raising his voice or doing something he might reject. If he could, he’d never stay in the same room as them whenever something about the war was on.

Tails was one of the few people who knew his trauma had not left him. Sonic never liked anybody finding out about his deepest, darkest feelings. He never liked to be vulnerable around others. He hated it. Despised it.

It was during one night where the hedgehog could not sleep. Tails had long gone to bed at this point, leaving Sonic to occupy himself through the silent, dark night.

They had been watching a comedy previously a couple of hours ago. The brothers liked to have a day where they could binge watch their favourite programs with snacks and forget their troubles. Today had been one of those days.

Normally, it worked. It’d normally cheer them up, help them to sleep easily. But tonight? It hadn’t helped Sonic.

He had gone to a counselling session a few days ago. Something about it had been on his mind, though what it was, was anybody’s guess. Sonic was so private these days with his personal life. Tails was pretty much one of the few people to ever hear about his day truthfully.

A soft sigh escaped his mouth.

“Gotta love those nights where you can’t do anything but wish you could remove the past.” a mere thought to himself. A soft whisper, volume gentle enough not to wake the sleeping fox upstairs in his own room.

The hedgehog then turned on the sofa, laying on his hip, facing the window with a blank frown. He was somewhat worried about having another nightmare again. He had been having those as of recent. He believed it was to do with talking about it with his therapist.

She encouraged him to write down thoughts. Speak to loved ones. Find new hobbies to enjoy and have fun.

It was all so hard. He truly, honestly, wanted to change for the better. He wanted to be better, to feel better.

He had noticed the others’ behaviour lately. They all seemed to be acting like they were fine, as if the war had never happened in the first place.

It began to make him question whether it had actually happened. Whether it was all in his head? And they had been going along with him to make him feel better?

Another sigh this time only a little deeper.

“Ames seems to be leading the New Resistance well. She’s doing an amazing job of being the leader. Then again, she was born to play that role. She just knows what to do.”

How he envied her. She had remained her innocence it seemed. He wished he had his.

“I wish I could do something to be of use. Yet, I just can’t seem to do anything right without worrying I might mess it up.”

Sonic sat up. He pressed his palms against his forehead. “Stupid, stupid, stupid! Shut up, shut up!” the thoughts were back. Those nagging, evil thoughts, never leaving him. Haunting thoughts. Dark thoughts.

Familiar thoughts.

_You’re a failure._

_You can’t do anything right!_

“Shut up!”

_Admit what you did! Admit you were wrong!_

_You are the reason they were all killed! How Buddy was injured! How he lost a leg! Your fault!_

“N-no--!”

_You, you, you, you, you!_

“Shut up!”

“Sonic?”

He gasped when he saw the lights had been turned on. Sprung from the sofa, he noticed the familiar orange fox standing the stairs, tiredly rubbing his eyes.

Sonic looked horrified. Damn it, another night where he had woken up Tails with his thoughts.

“I-- I-I’m sorry, I just-- I-I--”

“It’s alright, Sonic. It’s alright.”

This was going to be a long night.

###### 

“So, anyway. Back to you. How have you been feeling this morning?”

“Eh, not bad. I’m not completely glowing with joy but not depressed either.”

“Okay, well, I will accept this answer regardless. Tell me how you’ve been doing lately. Have you thought about what I said during our previous session?”

The hedgehog hums with a nod. How could he forget last week’s appointment? The one where he broke down crying from venting too much?

“Yeah.”

“And did you decide what to do on it?”

“Kind of. Like, yes, my experiences may help those who’d like to become part of the Resistance, but would it help me? I’m not so sure.”

Minutes pass and the alarm clock makes a tune, signalling the end of their session. Both of them stood up from their seats in unison.

“I understand things are stressful for you. You can, and will move past this. Give yourself the time and patience you deserve.”

The therapist reminds him, a kind deer mobian who always wore a smile and a smart uniform, making sure it’s a gentle reminder.

Sonic returns the smile, though it wasn’t a huge one. He was still feeling doubtful about this road to recovery of his. What if he couldn’t get through it? What if it’d take years to get over what happened to him? To the others? To the world?

The haunting images of those lifeless bodies remain etched in his mind to this day. Even if it had been two years ago, it felt as if it was only yesterday. How Knuckles managed to move on so quickly bothered the hedgehog so much. He always seemed like he was in control of everything. Literally.

It made Sonic feel envious. Angry. Like, why couldn’t he be the same? Why couldn’t he be as strong as Knuckles could? Knuckles had seen some horrific stuff, didn’t he?

So then why? Why was he suffering so much? When he was the hero? The leader? How could he ever hope to move on from this if he couldn’t be strong like his rival? One of his bestest friends?

Chaos, all of this was giving him a headache. Thank goodness the session had ended for the week. One less thing to think about for the day.

“You take care now, alright?”

The hedgehog nods. “You too. Thank you again for the session. I’ll keep working on myself.”

“Hey, remember to give yourself a break when you can. Recovery is hard and it’s not something that happens over night. Just remember to be kind to yourself, alright? As always; if you have any worries or issues you’d like to talk to me over, feel free to send me an email and we will discuss the matter. Take care now.”

“Bye.”

Sonic leaves the room with a wider smile, not wanting to be rude to the therapist. The fact that she had been so willingly to help him in the first place, had meant a lot to the hedgehog. He never wanted to give her any trouble. It was why he was hesitant to contact her about negative stuff outside the therapy room.

It didn’t take the hedgehog long to walk home from the building he had been at. Once he got in his house, he kicked off his shoes and fell on the sofa, exhaling deeply. He was no closer to finding the answer he had been looking for.

Why him? Why was he the one Eggman and Infinite wanted to torture so much? Why nobody else? Sonic had assumed it was because he was the world's hero, the one everyone looked to whenever something bad rose.

Yet, he wasn’t satisfied with his own answer.

Perhaps he’d never get the answer he wanted. Maybe. Unless he charged to the scientist’s lair right now and demanded it. But then would that be wise? No. Did he actually want to do that? No.

So, he was at a loss. He doubted his friends would know. After all, they hadn’t experienced the six months of hell he endured, but also they were too occupied themselves during the war to even begin why it had been him.

If there was one person he could not stop feeling pity for, it was Cream. What she had seen was nightmarish, given from what she told the group after the war was over. After that, she never spoke of the events again.

Sonic could easily tell then it had bothered her so much. She had become so traumatised, she started having nightmares, flashbacks and separation anxiety. Vanilla had to be nearby, and if Cream was alone for a certain amount of time, she’d go into a panic attack.

Sonic had seen her have one once. It was concerning. He never wanted to see her look so sad again. She never deserved it, she was only a child. No child should ever have to see what she saw.

It was why both the mother and daughter moved home to another town. Their old house had too many bad memories lingering there. It was one of the homes in their town which hadn’t been destroyed from the war.

Just thinking about her made the hedgehog want to go and check on her. She hadn’t been seen alone very much after that. Understandable really. Sonic understood. He felt he’d be the same if he was in her position. It was a good thing that she still had her mother. Vanilla was such a great mother.

He felt envious of Cream. He missed his mum so much.

“Hmm,” he sighed to himself, pushing himself up from the sofa so he was just sitting up. “I wonder how she’s been. I want to go and see her. Besides, it’d do me some good to get out of the house, right?”

He lived alone nowadays. Tails had his own workshop nearby, so he had his own place. Sonic knew Tails could handle himself so he was at ease with Tails having his own house. However, at first he wasn’t. He explained his doubts to Tails, saying how he was frightened about Tails being attacked or something happening to him and then being unable to call for help.

Tails soon managed to persuade him by recalling their adventures together. Sonic had forgotten about those. How he forgotten how Tails took on Eggman all by himself in Station Square, and then again in space. Along with some other times.

And the amount of times he had saved Sonic. Sonic snorted to that fact. He never wanted to admit how he felt weak sometimes, though he was super grateful to Tails always being there for him.

They were true brothers, after all.

No, enough thinking. Enough. He needed to get out of this house. Now. It was beginning to drive him crazy.

He made preparations to go out immediately before he'd feel awful about himself again. He wanted to keep busy, make sure his mind couldn't poison itself from all the bad thoughts lately he had been having.

First place he wanted to visit for the day; Cream’s. Check on her, make sure she was alright. Then, head on over to Tails' workshop. Spend some brotherly time they both needed.

It was December at last. The first day of December had arrived in Diamond Dust. The forecast was for snow to land soon in Diamond Dust, something which was normally in the zone. It snowed around this time of the year. The temperature would drop a lot during this time too.

Sonic was spending the day in his room. Not fancying going out in the cold, the hedgehog wanted to stay in the warmth and relax. He had mostly played video games for the day, catching up on some progress in one of the roleplaying games he had been meaning to complete a hundred percent on.

It had occupied him during the long, quiet day. During a break from playing the game, he texted Tails, asking what his winter plans were and what he was up to during the day.

Sonic hadn’t received an answer from his brother so he believed the fox might be busy doing whatever it was he was doing. He never liked to pry in Tails’ business anyway, it was not his place to say anything about his life or what he did with it. After all, the fox now was growing up and was learning to stand on his own two feet, something which had made the blue hedgehog very proud of.

Though, he never minded the rare occasions of where Tails would retreat back to Sonic’s for whatever reason. Sonic was always more than willing to aid his brother through anything and everything.

Hours later and it became the evening. Sonic saved his game and switched off the console, and then the TV. Stretching his arms out in the air with a moan, he yawned afterwards before then standing up from his chair.

He hadn’t eaten all day. Chaos, time to fix that. Immediately. So, next top; the kitchen.

Heading down the stairs from his room, the hedgehog crossed over the living room and then entered the medium sized kitchen. It was plain looking, nothing special, but he had all the things he needed in it to make meals, store drinks and other things. His home hadn’t been very sophisticated, never liked one. He hated homes with loads of rooms and too much space. Never knew what to store in the rooms.

No, where he was now was good enough for him. A bedroom, a spare bedroom in case somebody stayed over, along with a living room and kitchen? Suited for Sonic. Just enough space for him to feel like he’s not out of sorts.

Switching the light on, it lit up the neatly kept kitchen before his eyes. Another yawn escaped him as he walked to the fridge, pulling the fridge door open. He searched inside for a drink to have, though he didn’t feel like a sugary one. So, water it was.

Out comes a bottle of water and then the fridge is closed.

Now, he heads to the living room. Switch on the light in there and then the TV. Sit on the sofa, open the bottle and then just chill. Nothing to worry about, nothing to do.

He always felt at ease the most when he could properly relax. Saving the world from Eggman and his henchmen were always a tiring job. Not that he minded it so much, but it would leave him feeling exhausted. It felt nice not having to chase after him for a while. He doubted it would last, but at least he was able to catch the much needed breather.

Local boring news. Something about somebody stealing a lawn mower from a shop, Sonic was baffled. Then, they reported the weather, and the forecast was for snow to come within a couple of days. This was old news, they all knew this but the hedgehog understood how they needed to mention more than once for the people who were only now just catching up.

But the next piece of news sent him into a spiral of frenzy.

“And now, we report in Red Gate City to reveal to you that we have word on the whereabouts of the infamous Infinite. The one who crushed Sonic so easily in the beginning of the war and army leader of the Eggman Army.”

The screen revealed a cat woman who wore a smart outfit for the report, voice calm and collected.

Oh, no. No, no, no. Sonic’s heart began to race during the onset of the news.

“But, he was defeated by said hero in the end, thank goodness.”

A picture came up on the screen to show Infinite’s last known sighting. Sonic began to feel sick to his stomach. How dare that jackal show his face again, how dare he!

“The police were alerted to a jackal who sported long silver hair, and stood around three foot. His mask was cracked but looked a lot like the one worn by Infinite himself during the war. He was last seen near the Red Gate train station, believing to had been heading towards the trains and then vanishing shortly afterwards.”

The footage on the screen showed exactly what she was saying. Where had he gone to then and why? Wait, oh no, was he going to come back to finish what he started? What if he was going off to find Eggman?

Or kill him?

Oh no, no, no! He was just beginning to finally work through the trauma of it all too, and now Infinite shows his ugly head! This couldn’t be happening, this shouldn’t be happening!

Sonic gasped, pressing a hand against his mouth, eyes watering. He was quaking where he sat. Shaking his head, he didn’t want to believe this was real. None of it. He truly wanted to believe this wasn’t happening.  
Infinite couldn’t be alive. He couldn’t, he couldn’t!

He just couldn’t be! They had found him--! But he was found--! Chaos, oh, this had to be a dream. A dream! A dream!

“Whether or not it is the real Infinite we shall see. Stay tuned for more news. Alicia Rowes, Diamond Dust Local News.” and then it was back to the reporters on the main setting.

Off goes the TV. Sonic jumped up from the sofa and dashed to the kitchen as quickly as he could. When arriving to the sink, he threw up violently in the sink, mind flashing before him of images, sounds, all the things he really wanted to forget about. It was all rushing back to him.

The six months of hell. The blood, the smell of metal, the beatings, the lies being fed to him, drowning, Chaos, he couldn't take it! Not again! Not another round of bad memories and sick feelings!

Minutes later, he spat out the last bit of saliva from his mouth, panting heavily. He stared at nothing as the memories continued to play in his mind, like some sick joke on him, like they wanted to remind him of the pain and how much he felt like a failure.

It was his fault the war started. It was his fault his friends had been injured. It was his fault how people died, how they lost their homes, how everything went to damn hell!

_Him, him, him, him!_

It was all him!

_**Him!** _

...Him. He was everything wrong.

“It’s all my fault. I deserved everything I got.”

The hedgehog then fell to his knees, breaking down into tears. It was going to be another long day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My AU Sonic series right here with three chapters all in one! I feel that posting three chapters on here all at once here is better than tiny chapters at a time. So because of this, updates will come very three to four weeks! I update every Sunday on InkBunny!
> 
> Rated mature due to violence later on in the story! I will add more tags as the story continues!


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Knuckles is so angry with everything and Tails has nightmares. This AU is shaping up nicely, huh?

Knuckles had always been the tough one out of the team. Hardly anything fazed him, he taught himself to master any kind of situation to do with fighting to ensure he could protect his friends from danger.

He was the tough one. He was the one they could talk to when they needed somebody to listen to them. Knuckles was the one who didn't know what to say but he had a heart of gold. Anything on his friends' minds were no issue to him. He just wanted to be there for those he loved.

After all, they were the ones who had given him a forever home, and it was not including Angel Island. His forever home was with his team, his allies, those who had assisted him through the thick and thin.

He wouldn't admit it but Sonic and Tails were his bestest friends of all. Sure, they had a huge feud when they first met, and it was actually Eggman's fault for causing any ill feelings between them all, but in the end Knuckles saw he had been tricked.

He never stopped apologising for getting it all wrong. Even now, he still apologised. But, only Sonic and Tails knew about this. No one else wasn't allowed. He had a reputation to keep up. Though, for the hedgehog and fox?

He'd do anything for them. Anything. He felt he owed his life to them for all of the sticky situations they had gotten him out of. He made a promise to them two especially because of this. They were his best friends and he was not going to let anything happen to them.

But then if he was so protective and caring, why couldn't he protect Sonic from the torture and suffering he endured on the Death Egg? Why did it escape him?

Just thinking about it angered the red mobian. He felt so angry with Eggman, and Infinite, and those who turned against Sonic for their sick gains! He pissed him off. How could they hurt such a kind, gentle person who had done nothing wrong, and then leave him with such mental scars that he literally struggled to leave his his own home for three months straight?

Sonic had never done a thing wrong in his life. Knuckles would have argued about this statement years ago, but now? No. He would agree with whoever said this. He did nothing wrong. He had done nothing wrong.

He remembered the state he saw his best friend was in when they first rescued him. Blooded, bruised, sported a black eye. He looked awful. Deathly. Ill. He had lost so much weight from the stress and the lack of food. If Knuckles didn't know any better, he'd have believed they had been trying to starve him alive.

The red mobian sighed, arms folded across his chest as he stood still upon the shrine of the Master Emerald. He had been concentrating on his meditation practice more than ever lately. He was beginning to find he was prone to becoming very explosive whenever something pissed him off.

Yet, he felt there was nothing wrong with him. Not like what happened with Sonic. No, Sonic had been the one who suffered, not him. Why should he get a say in anything when he was the least affected one? He had it easy compared to the hedgehog, to Amy's leadership, to Tails' abandonment trauma as well.

It wasn't fair how his friends had suffered! They did nothing wrong! They never had done a thing wrong, damn it! Why them? Why? Why, why, why?

"Hey, Knuckles."

A familiar voice spoke to him, halting him from his spiral of anger in his mind. Good thing too, he was beginning to become angry with himself again.

"Oh, sup, kid."

It was Tails. The red mobian smiled warmly at the fox. "What brings you to my domain? Sonic boring you with his puns again?"

"Hah hah! No, no. Just wanted to check on you. See how you were doing lately. We've all been busy recently and haven't had the time to see each other, so I popped by. I'm surprised you didn't hear me."

"Eh, you know how it is; was in my meditation again."

"Ops, sorry Knuckles!"

"Hey, whoa, it's all good, kiddo. You know you are more than welcome to come and visit whenever you want."

"Thanks."

Then it all became silent. The two stood at their spots, not moving or saying a word, just staring at each other like they had run out of things to talk about during a social meeting.

Tails was the first to break the silence with clearing his throat. His alarmed Knuckles a bit. He opened his mouth to speak, to ask what was wrong before the fox stopped him.

"I-- I need your help. Please."

Oh, Chaos. This was not just a visit was it? No, Knuckles could sense the shift of emotion in the air around them. Tails was so easy to read.

Knuckles frowned worryingly. "Okay."

"I-- I don't--"

"Whoa, hey, take your time--!"

"Oh Chaos, Knuckles, I can't do this any more! I can't! I can't I can't I can't!"

Knuckles moved immediately to catch Tails from falling, arms out to make sure he couldn't collapse and hurt himself. He didn't understand what was happening with his friend but he did not like it.

It was especially concerning when Tails started to break down in front of him. Whatever this was, Knuckles was not about to walk away from this. No, he was going to be there for Tails. No matter what.

A frown on Knuckles' muzzle appeared. "Kid, spill it out to me. Come on, I'm not letting you deal with this alone. Is it Sonic?"

"N-no."

"Okay, then what is it? Is it something to do with the others?"

"N-no, no. Just-- Just me."

"You? Wait, what have you done? What's on your mind?"

"I-- Oh, Knuckles. I can't stop having nightmares. I can't! I keep s-seeing them! All of them! I can't escape it! I don't know what to do! Knuckles, don't let them hurt me again, please don't! I'm sorry! I'm so, so sorry!"

Knuckles grabs him tighter as the fox breaks down in his arms. Closing his eyes, he allowed his friend to cry it all out, listening to his screams with a heavy heart.

His friends had suffered enough. It was evident none of them were okay. This just proved it.

"It's okay kid, it's okay."

Even after two years, the memories, the feelings, they were all still so raw. It only made the mobian more angry the more he was learning about the trauma and horrible things they all endured during the war.

He was going to make Eggman pay for all of this the next time he saw him.

Bad.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shadow attempts to comfort an exhausted Amy Rose. She too is beginning to show signs of mental illness.

"I suggest you rest, Rose. Pacing around will not help yourself at all. Everything will be alright, I can assure you."

Amy just couldn't sit still whenever she was anxious like this. She had heard about the report of Infinite's appearance and began to panic about what he might do once he finds them. The pink hedgehog wasn't going to take chances of risking their lives by lowering her guard so as the leader of the Resistance, she had taken it upon herself to ensure the safety of all those around her.

Shadow meanwhile was growing concerned for her. She looked so tired, so exhausted from the responsibilities of being a leader, something he knew too well himself when he was working with G.U.N. for a short period of time.

He soon quit when he saw the extent of what they had done to his family. The Commander understood fully, apologising for what had happened. Shadow knew it wasn't exactly the current Commander's fault for now the previous Commander ran things. It was just unlucky at how he was in the firing line for the things he didn't ever do.

Something which haunted Shadow. He had done the same thing to Sonic in the past, and that was a deep regret that he had in his heart. He knew at the time he was doing what he believed was the right thing to do but after he had learnt of Maria's true wish, he realised he had made a huge mistake.

He had never forgiven himself for it. Even to this day. He felt he didn't deserve forgiveness. He didn't deserve to be forgiven for how he almost destroyed Sonic's life and almost killing him in space. He didn't realise how he would have removed this world's hero from his selfish behaviour.

It was why he had made a silent promise to protect Sonic. Sure, they still held their rivalry but in the end, it was Sonic's kindness and friendship how he began to felt he could truly move on from the past.

And now, he wanted to do the same for Sonic. He helped to create this mess, and he was going to help fix it. Help fix everybody from their nightmares.

If only he had never taunted Infinite. Killed his friends. Perhaps, all of this would have never happened. In a way, Shadow blamed himself for everything that had gone on. When he heard Sonic had been kidnapped, and then tortured, it made his blood boil beyond words.

He failed to protect him then when he didn't do a thing wrong. Shadow was not going to make the same mistake twice.

"Rose, rest. You are not going to be strong for the team if you do not help yourself. They look up to you. They need you."

Amy sighed. "I know, I know -- It's just -- Damn it, I feel like I should be doing something other than just standing around here!"

"What do you mean? Are you suggesting you know how to handle the situation? Straight off the bat without logical thinking?"

Amy snapped her head towards the ebony hedgehog, who was sat in his chair with his legs crossed over the table and arms folded. Curse Shadow for speaking the truth. He was smarter than what he let on.

"Sh--! Yes, of course I know what to do!"

Shadow's eyebrow rose. "Tell me, then. Explain your plan to me. Starting from the beginning to the end."

He received blinking from the other hedgehog, then she opened her mouth with a finger raised. She tried to say something, anything, to shut his smart mouth up, to let Shadow see how she was in control of everything, that she totally had it all under control.

She totally did. Honestly, she did! She knew exactly what to do!

Oh, who was she kidding? She didn't have a darn clue. She sighed, more heavy this time, sinking into the nearest chair by Shadow.

"Okay, you're right. I don't know, I just don't know, okay? I'm struggling."

For the pink hedgehog to admit something was wrong was unusual to the ebony's ears. He had always seen her as this strong leader with unstoppable force and high strength, mentally and physically, so to hear this was saddening to his heart.

"I'm trying, okay?"

"I know."

"It's hard, I'm really trying."

"I know you are, Rose."

"I don't understand! Nothing should be wrong with me! I'm the leader, the face of the Resistance! I should be the one who knows what to do, the one they can all turn to!"

"Rose--"

"I helped to build the Resistance! I helped to establish it! I helped everybody find a role in this team! I wanted to ensure everyone would continue holding on to hope when Sonic was kidnapped!"

"Rose, hold on--"

"I hate myself for letting myself become weak! I need to be stronger! I wasn't the one who was badly affected! I should be accounted for Gadget's lost leg!"

"Rose!"

Amy gasped at the raised tone from her friend. Then silence hung in the air, and the two hedgehogs stared at each other for a few moments. Shadow's expression softened, sad over how she was mentally suffering inside and only now she had allowed a small part of it be hinted out in the open.

Sighing, Shadow stood up from his chair and walked over to her. He knew what it was like to be suffering mentally inside and he never ever wished it on one of his friends, especially one who he felt eternally grateful to.

Amy saved him back when he was still swearing revenge on the humans on the ARK. He had never forgotten how he was wrong and how he had been so selfish, so misled by his own anger.

Never again would he ever hurt another in such a level. Never again. Although, he would swear revenge for his loved ones, he would never try to start a full on war like before.

No, he wanted to treasure Maria's wish. Make the world a better place for everyone and every living thing. It was what she would've wanted.

He would do it all for her. Over and over again. No matter what.

Out of the blue came a hug for Amy from Shadow. The ebony hedgehog had carefully wrapped his arms around her tiny frame, wanting to show her how she was not alone.

He was going to ensure she was going to get all the support she needed. Like what Sonic needed. Like the others needed. Like with Gadget.

Chaos, he felt awful for the young rookie. He had gone in and lost his leg during a mission. Shadow remembered the screams of agony, the amount of blood Gadget had lost, how pale the wolf became from shock and blood loss.

How Sonic vomited from guilt and anxiety shortly after being him in.

Too much has happened.

"Stop it. Just, stop it. Stop blaming yourself for everything. You did the best you could for everybody out there, and you did the best you could when you offered to be somebody they could vent to."

He squeezed a bit tighter, and he could've sworn he had heard soft sobs from the pink hedgehog in gentle volumes.

"It's okay, Rose. It's okay. Everything will be okay. I promise you. I will take it upon myself to investigate Infinite. I promise."

Perhaps this time, he can correct the wrongs he had done in the past. Be the person he wanted to be for so long, to find the redemption he had sought out for.

He had to do this. For everyone.

For Maria.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was a day late for this one to be posted on InkBunny but eeyy did it in the end! Thanks for all the hits and kudos and your feedback! I'm really happy this AU is taking off somewhere!
> 
> Now, to prepare for the intense scenes because Infinite oho!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything is going to chaos. Prepare for the battlefield.

Infinite. The mutual enemy within the Resistance for reasons. The Chaotix had been secretly working with Amy after the report of Infinite apparently showing up, playing the roles of being the investigators. Vector and his team were literally familiar with this concept as they did this for a living, so for them to be going undercover to grab some information was not something they were going to be shy of. If anything, they'd want to get some dirt on their enemy for the past. Sure, Eggman had not been around lately but they refused to take any chances in case they were planning another attack as huge as the previous one. Or even a bigger one.

No, they couldn't allow it to happen again. The results would be devastating should it be a thing again, and this time they were sure Sonic would not have the strength to stop Infinite alone like before. He had lost a lot of strength when he had been tortured during the six months he had been kidnapped, a lot of mental strength at least. Sonic was scarily okay on the battlefield although after the war, he completely crumbled.

Something the Chaotix had never seen before. Never. They had never witnessed the legendary Sonic the Hedgehog having one huge breakdown to the point he became a former shell of what he was. It was then they realised Eggman had broken him beyond words, beyond actions unimaginable to them. They dared not to question it, to even think about it. The fact one of their beloved friends had gone through something awful made their bloods boil. Vector was the first one to growl and with a tightened fist, declare he was going to make Eggman pay for what he did.

Espio soon voiced the same himself under a more calmer tone than what Vector had used. Charmy said nothing, he was too upset to say a word. Both Espio and Vector understood how hard it was for Charmy to hear such things, so when it was just them alone, they both decided to try and take any upset off of Charmy's mind. While it helped to get the young bee to smile again in the end after many rounds of video games and pizza for dinner, both Vector and Espio were boiling with rage throughout the entire night. They did not let Charmy see it. They made out everything was fine.

Charmy was oblivious to their masks they had been wearing, thankfully.

So when Amy spoke to them about her suggestion, they were immediately on the case. No hesitation, just a straight up "yes" from them. Both Vector and Espio took it upon themselves to do the investigating while Charmy stayed watch at their base for anyone suspicious trying to break in. Knowing the bee was not in any harms way, the other two ventured out to begin their search for any information.

They knew it was going to be tough but they did not care. They both had their own reasons, besides seeing Sonic so broken.

Infinite had done some bad things. Espio hated the jackal if he was honest. It was the way Infinite went round trying to scare people and merciless hurt them. He was so hung up on being fair to all, of being somebody who believed everyone deserved to be happy. Yet, Infinite couldn't be forgiven by the ninja. He wanted to hurt him like he had hurt the towns people, like he hurt their friends, their family, to his--

"Yo, Esp! Talkin' to ya! You feelin' okay there?"

"Hmm? What?"

Oh, Chaos. He had gone too deep within his mind again. Once realising what Vector had said to him, the ninja smiled and nodded. "Sorry. I am well. Purely overthinking, apologies."

"Eh, don't be. I get it. Somethin' we've all been doin' lately, huh?"

It was true. So much had happened within the last two years that it was hard to recall every little thing. Espio nodded again, silent this time. He was sure Vector had picked up on his anxiety from the way he was suddenly looking at him. He had hidden this fact from many but he too had been affected from Infinite's actions. Something bad had happened to the ninja, something only Vector knew. He trusted Vector with this secret, to which the leader replied "you can count on it". It made Espio relieved with a smile.

"I just-- Are you sure we should be doing this? I understand we both agreed with no ifs or buts, with mutual feelings, I just fear we might be doing something we shouldn't be doing."

Vector stopped walking. He turned to his partner and blinked, looking almost offended, or seemed like it to the ninja. He wasn't sure anymore. Espio wasn't sure of anything anymore. He hadn't been for ages.

"Whoa, whoa. Where's this comin' from man? What's on your mind? Are you... Are you alright?"

Damn, now Vector was getting worried. Great job, ninja. The last thing he wanted was for Vector to be worrying about him too. They had to think about the others, about Charmy, about this mission! This was no time to be crumbling or going back now! It was too late.

Yet, in Espio's heart...

"Y-- Yes, sir."

'Sir'? Espio never called him 'sir' unless it was something serious. Chaos, now this alarmed the leader. Vector stares for a while as he tries to figure out the words to say to his partner. No, he does not believe him, not for a moment. Not while Espio looks so lost. Not when a close friend of his was suffering on the inside and were trying to hide it under his nose. Vector knew Espio like the back of his hand by now and there was obvious body signs that not all was well. Vector was not about to let him bottle it all up.

"Esp," the detective says, his tone becoming stern out of concern. "Talk to me, man to man. Somethin' is botherin' you and it pains me to let you continue to kill yourself with it. Not sure what it is but I'm gonna do somethin' about it. Startin' with gettin' you to tell me what is on your mind."

A smile from the ninja. "Vex, I'm good."

"Liar." Vector argue back.

"Am not."

"Then tell me, why you lookin' at me like you're dyin' to scream it out? Think I don't know ya? I know you better than anyone else, man! You're my friend damn it, don't shut me out like this... Come on, man. At least, vent to me a bit. Come on. It's me you're talkin' to."

Espio gasped, covering his mouth as his head turned to the side. His heart pounded, chest aching from the demons within him. What he did not want to tell anybody had been locked away within himself to ensure nobody would know. No, he didn't want to let Vector in. Not in this situation. Not in this place. Not while they were out investigating for their enemy.

Not like this. Not while Vector appeared to be so sad. Not with that sad look.

"V-Vex--"

"Espio, you know I'd never tell a soul. You know that, right?"

A silent nod from the ninja. The leader smiled gently at him, arms folded. Honestly, they had both been through too much to throw away their friendship. They were literally invincible together. The three of them.

That was why they were the Team Chaotix, the best detectives in the whole of the world! Nobody could do the work they could so well as these guys. Nobody. And Vector would never let Charmy or Espio forget that he cared very much about them, even when they were fighting or had different views on a subject. They were family as far as they were concerned.

This changed nothing.

"Heh, then you'd know that I would tell you anythin', right?"

Another nod.

"Whatever this is, we can sort it out together. As a team. As a family. No matter what it is Espio, no matter what, I'd never betray you or abandon you. Man to man."

This seemed like this was what Espio needed to hear, because it wasn't long before he burst into tears. Sobbing, he covered his eyes with his hands and leaned his head against Vector's chest, who in turn gave the ninja a huge hug. Just seeing him crying broke the green mobian's heart, and this was definitely something that had indeed been haunting him. Although, this also meant that he was getting all of his stress out by crying, and Vector was okay with this. He was fine with comforting his friend like this. He knew how hard it was to keep going when you felt weak, when you felt like you couldn't go on any more.

"It's cool man, it's all cool." Vector coos. "Cry it out. Let it all out. It'll do you some good man to release it. We can make this a break."

Yeah, just a small break to forget the mission for a bit. If Espio's head wasn't in the game then this mission would be doomed from the start, so they needed to be sure on a mutual ground that they could keep going. Vector knew Espio needed time to vent it out and to feel okay again. Something he was also okay with.

The smile on Vector's face never left him. He was just glad he trusted him enough to cry in public, to him. He knew how important trust was and he promised both Espio and Charmy that he was never going to break it. Never. Not on money, nothing. Their friendship was too important to the leader. They were his life, his best friends, his family, damn it.

However, somebody had seen their guard was down. Somebody was spying on them from the bushes nearby, witnessing their moment of comfort. They smirked to themselves, realising this was the perfect time to attack the two while they were vulnerable.

The stranger carefully drew their weapon from it's shaft, eyes narrowed in concentration, planning their attack. The second the two were completely open, they'd go in for the kill.

Not yet, not yet, wait for it.

The two released each other and smiled at one another. Now they were in the open, this was it. All or nothing!

Attack now! They were alone and no one was around, do it now!

The bushes rattling, the stranger sped out and with their sword in hand, charging at them to attempt to hurt them.

"Die you bastards!"


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Espio and Vector are pissed off and Infinite takes it a little too far personally.

"Die, you bastards!"

"Espio--!" 

Vector cries as he shoves his partner away to protect him, just dodging the blade swinging towards his direction. Vector then drops to the floor and immediately jumps back onto his feet as Espio does the same. Once they had recovered, they dared to stare into the eyes of their oncoming enemy, preparing themselves for the unavoidable fight they were in.

"Heh, still as sharp as ever it seems. I must be lacking somewhere."

Hold on, wait a moment. That voice. That deep, dark voice!

"Wha-- Hey, Vector, is that--?"

"Oh hell no--!"

The moment they looked up, they looked into the yellow eyes of fury above them, unable to mask it's anger and thrill for violence. Those familiar eyes they wished they had never seen again. The same eyes worn by...

"Surprise, fools. Didn't expect to see me again, hmm?"

Both Vector and Espio growled at the mysterious person, their own vengeful anger bubbling to the surface once more upon just a glance at them.

Infinite. Their enemy. Their ultimate enemy besides Eggman. They were face to face with him and there was no escaping this one, not that they wanted to anyway. In the mood that they were in, they were dying to pummel the jackal into the ground.

"Bastard, we found you."

"A shame we were ambushed before we could do it to you."

"Oh? Oh, hmm, I see," the jackal laughs, smirking at the detectives with joy of his actions. "Were you hoping to catch me by surprise? Oh dear, it seems like I ran circles around you again. Such a shame you both have grown weaker, and here I thought, you had it in you to continue to protect people. To continue to play the heroes in silly fantasies about being highly classed 'detectives'." a taunt, something to get the other two riled up. Infinite wanted them to be hurt, he wanted to make sure they suffered for ever getting involved with Eggman's plans and stopping them from taking over the world.

Each word from Infinite dripped with poison, with utter hatred. Watching Espio and Vector fall for the taunt by their expressions was music to the jackal's ears. Beautiful, this was just too easy for him. They were as stupid as ever in his book.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Did I touch a nerve?"

"Shut. Your. Mouth." Vector warns.

"Ooh, and the so-called 'saviour' is offended. Am I supposed to be scared? Do try to scare me, it'll be something new to experience. Although," he grins, eyes directly on Espio. "Could you save another? Like with Elissa? The girl who you--"

"Shut up!" 

"Esp!"

Vector holds back an enraged Espio, using all of his strength to make sure he'd not do something he might regret. This was what Infinite wanted and Vector knew this, he knew he wanted Espio to attack him and if he could, he'd protect his partner from being a part of Infinite's sick games.

Infinite just continued to grin as he watched the two friends fought against each other in a battle of strength. Vector growls as he did his best to hold back Espio from making any mistakes but he wasn't having any of it. The jackal had really said the wrong thing and all the mobian wanted to do was make Infinite pay for saying her name.

He had no right saying her name. No right, no right, no right!

"Let me go!" Espio hisses, determined to escape and fight Infinite.

"And let you get killed? You out of your mind?"

"I'm not having him mentioning her!" he stops struggling but his mind was still racing with fury. "What he did to her was unforgivable! I'm gonna pound him until he's dead!"

"Stop it man, stop it! Calm down, don't you see this is what he wants? For you to get so angry like this? He knows how to push your buttons, it's all mind games!"

The jackal just continues to watch them. He felt satisfied with his actions, he could feel the hatred from the purple detective, he could see it in those amber eyes. All of this just wanted to make him stir some more trouble up. This was better than taking them out in a single hit or a few blows. No, watching them squirm and get played was something he could get used to. In fact, Infinite made a note to do more of this. He really wanted to make everybody pay, though his top targets were both Shadow and Sonic for their meddling and for the loss of his teammates in the past when he was still with the Jackal Squad.

"Listen, we need to go back and report this. Fightin' him will only make this worse!"

"Ghn--! I-- I know, but--!"

"Oh no," Infinite says suddenly, shaking his head as if he was offended by something. "You aren't going to leave me alone, are you? I thought we were beginning to get along."

"You shut your mouth you son of a bitch! It's your fault everybody's such a mess! You're the reason for all of this, and if I had my way now, I'd have knocked you into the moon!"

"Yikes, the leader of the-- what was it called now -- The Lousy Detectives, getting all worked up over a couple of words? Hmm, what happened to your calm and collected attitude? Where is the leader the team so-called have?"

The two growled at the jackal but he wasn't about to stop yet.

"Oh, wonder how the young lad would react to seeing you both as a failure?" this caught their full attention, and if they weren't fully awake, they were now. "You know, the bee, or somebody. Do they know how you allowed somebody to die and several others to get hurt because of your actions? How you failed to protect those you cared about? Or better..."

"Don't you even--!" Vector tries to stop him but is unable to due to holding back Espio and also himself. Though, he was beginning to get very close to wanting to deck Infinite for his behaviour.

"How about what happened to the rabbit's mother? Hmm? How'd you think they'd all take it?"

Espio hisses at the jackal before he could feel himself released suddenly, turning to his partner with a concerned expression. "H-hey, don't listen to him. It wasn't--"

Enraged eyes looked to Infinite and fists ready to fight in response. Infinite had really pissed off Vector this time, really bad this time. He had been pushed too far and now he was going to make him shut his mouth for those remarks. No, nobody knew what happened that night with Vanilla expect Vanilla, Espio and Vector, and they wanted it to stay that way. Vanilla always said how it would upset Cream and alas, never wanted to hurt her child from telling her. So, the trio agreed to keep the secret to themselves, never letting anybody else in.

Nobody bad mouthed Vanilla. Nobody. Not a soul. Specially not their enemy who did nothing but harm people, harm their loved ones.

He was going to really pay for this now.

"Espio, get out of here. Go back to the base, tell Amy what's happenin' here."

"Wait, what about you?"

"Hah, me? Oh, something I should've done a long time ago. I'm gonna stay here, and I'm gonna end this."

Espio would've tried to convince him to leave, to escape with him but from the way Vector looked, he could tell this was personal. This was something he needed to do to get it out of his system. For this once, he will grant his friend's wishes. But, he did not like it. "I swear to everything good," he starts, frowning. "If you die on me, I'm coming to find you and I am going to kick your ass. Got it?"

After Espio speeds away, it was only the two of them left.

Vector smirks, cracking one of his knuckles. It was finally time to get some revenge for Vanilla. "I'm gonna make you scream. Don't go cryin' now, you hear?"

"Hmph, the same to you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this was such a short chapter! Kinda lost motivation towards the end but hnn hope it's okay! Have the chapter a day earlier than planned!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mini filler with Sonic going to his therapy appointment. Nothing major happens in this chapter. Well, unless you count the development of Sonic having a crush on someone.

Sonic was back in therapy again. He sat in the waiting room quietly as he waited, fidgeting with his feet on against the carpet. This past week had been tiresome for the hedgehog. His mental health had been up and down with no moment of recovery from his spirals. Or so he felt.

He hadn't had much contact with his friends recently due to them being busy although he did manage to speak to Amy. They had a good catch up over their mobiles with a video call. Though, he did find it strange when he asked if everything was alright, Amy had appeared to be on edge, like there was something he wasn't sharing with him.

And then funnily enough, the pink hedgehog had grown a little quiet throughout the rest of the call. Sonic found it odd, worrisome even. He wondered if it was something he said to cause her to feel some anxiety despite Amy trying to reassure him that it was nothing.

No, he knew Amy like she knew him. Something was definitely wrong. It was big, he was sure of it. He just hoped it was nothing serious about her health because then he would have felt really bad about not pressing her to talk about it with him.

Amy was a dear friend of his. If anything happened to her, he'd never forgive himself. Sure, he always ran from Amy's affections but he had always cared for him in his own way. When they were younger he found her a bit of a handful but now they were older, he had found she was no longer of the sort. She was more understanding and less clingy.

And he liked this. He felt more closer to her than ever before after she had given him some personal space. Now, he enjoyed her company so much more, and often perked up whenever she'd join them on their adventures.

Was it a tiny crush he had on her? Perhaps, but it was a small one. Nothing major. No, he had his eyes on somebody else. He knew they were the one for him after an accident one day and they were the one to save him. He could never thank them enough for their kindness, for what they did for him.

They were the reason how he was able to break free from those chains, from that awful nightmare of being trapped in the Death Egg with no way out of there. The horrors he had endured with the Phantom Zavok and Infinite were beyond words to describe his pain. Never again did he ever want to go through any of it.

Now that he thought about it, he never did thank his saviour properly for their heroism. Damn, he will have to do that some time when they're not busy. Another thought then came to his mind.

"Sigh, I wonder how Gadget is doing? I hope he's been doing alright with his fake leg. He took it pretty hard when the doctors told him he had to have it removed. Blamed me for it too but I could understand his feelings entirely. I never once threw it back in his face."

Another friend he ought to catch up with. The last he heard about Gadget was that he was finally out of hospital and on his way to recovery. Sonic was almost afraid to go and see Gadget due to their last encounter and how angry he had been at him for losing his leg. Sonic apologised profusely over and over to try and make his friend see he didn't for things to turn out the way they did.

The hedgehog did blame himself however for it. He shouldn't have called Gadget to aid him in the mission. He should've just left him at home, let him rest for the day. Perhaps then, perhaps maybe, his leg would've been okay and Gadget wouldn't have turned to--

"Mr Hedgehog?" a gentle womanly voice enters the room. She smiles at him kindly in the corridor as she stood by the open door. "I'm ready to see you now."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew, finally got back to this! Mental health and work has been kicking my behind. Sorry this was short!


	7. Chapter 7

Finally, life was slowly getting better for the crimson wolf. Gadget had been learning to adjust to his new prosthetic leg after the old one was no longer working properly. Tails had customised the new prosthetic leg to be able to withstand a high amount of running speed. Things weren't as bad for gloomy for the wolf any more, he had been doing well in his road to recovery. There were still some issues to be addressed but luckily, he was managing to get through them all with the support of his friends. One day a time, he was getting stronger.

Today was his day off from work. He had gone to see Tails about something important.

"Alright! Should be all good. Feel free to come back if any issues arise, okay?"

"Thank you!" the wolf grinned delightfully, remaining sat on his seat as he was being given his new leg. He had to adjust the new one to fit so then he could use it, though it didn't take very long to do that. Chaos, how much better it felt when he stood up and tried it out by walking around.

Gadget literally was over the moon. Now, he could go back to work and live without the fear of falling over easily again. Tails was chuckling at Gadget's expressions, so glad and relieved that his friend was feeling so much better in himself again. Gadget was always doing his best to cheer others up and had never deserved all of what happened to him during the war. It was why Tails would do anything for his friend because he felt like if it hadn't had been for Gadget, they wouldn't have found Sonic and rescued him.

That was something the fox was always going to be in debt to Gadget for.

"So, think you can manage your job with that yet?"

The wolf blinked, unsure of what he was referring to until he realised he meant the fake leg. "O-oh! Oh, I should be! Thank you! I've really been missing working with the orphans, I'm excited I'm going to be able to go back and be able to do the things I want to do. You really are a lifesaver, Tails!"

"Aha! You're welcome. I'm happy to be of service at any time."

Gadget was very eager to get outside and wasted no time in heading for the place he called home after saying his goodbyes to Tails. He felt he owed his friends a massive debt for everything they had ever done for him but he always received the whole 'no you don't you're a part of our family now', which gave him mixed feelings. Happiness and guilt. He was very happy to know he was loved because he loved them all so much, they saved his life a number of times and was always willing to drop everything to be there for them, but he felt guilty because they always did so much for him. They always were doing things for others, something Gadget admired a ton.

The walk home was really good. He could get used to the new leg with little problem, making him grin to himself. When he finally got home, he unlocked the door and then closed it behind him. He lived in a three-bedroom home with two of his friends from the Resistance that he made when he first arrived at the base many months ago.

He noticed their shoes were not in the corridor and thought they were in work, marking him as the only one in the home at the moment. He didn't mind though, he'd see them later when they were home from work. Speaking of work, he really wanted to go back immediately but began to give it some thought. Should he call them and let them know he was willing to return right now? Or should he take the rest of the day off to continue to get used to the prosthetic?

He sighed, heading to the sofa, where he allowed himself to sit on it and lay back. Gadget never had liked doing nothing when he could've been doing something to help another, he never did like to think about somebody out there who needed trouble and were alone. Just thinking about it made him feel nausea to his stomach.

"Would they be angry at me for taking so long? I know they are always busy and the last thing I want to do is to cause any stress." well, he had been often told to take a break from Tally and Avory during work. They commented on how they caught him at times having no breaks at all, kept on working through the hour to tend to everything that needed to be done or those who needed his assistance. The wolf was truly somebody who never wanted to let anybody down, who always made sure no one was alone. Whenever he was asked why this was the case, his response was 'because Sonic saved my life and I have wanted to be a hero like him so that's why'.

Gadget never forgot the day he saved Sonic from the Death Egg, the state he had seen the blue hedgehog in. Just thinking about it made him feel awful, the hedgehog sported massive bruises, a black eye, cuts to his body and it looked like his ear had been either cut or bit at the time of the rescue, resulting in the wolf immediately worrying about him and making sure nothing could harm him ever again. The aftermath was just as bad. Now those memories were not what he liked to think about. Ever. They made him angry, so bitter towards the scientist for ever thinking it was okay to do that to somebody. He never did understand why Eggman thought it was okay to do the things he did, and enough times he had tried to even come up with an answer but never succeeded.

Another sigh escaped the wolf once more, staring up at the ceiling in silence. Yeah, he was beginning to overthink things. He needed to get off the sofa and do something to distract himself from the bad memories, before his mind even moved onto the moment he lost his leg. Shifting himself to remove himself from the sofa, Gadget got up, crossing over to head towards the kitchen in the next room. Perhaps he should fix some lunch? It had passed lunchtime after all, so maybe some lunch would be good for him.

Honestly, he needed to find ways to stop himself from overthinking. His brain had the tenacity to often to go towards the dark corners of his memories, seeming to like replaying the worst ones, such as his leg being torn from him. It was something he knew he was never going to forget for the rest of his life, heck, he even had a reminder of the event, but Chaos, it was already upsetting enough to talk about. Gadget really hated his brain. It was bad sometimes. Wasn't he glad though that he had been receiving help from his therapist? They had been such a major part of his recovery, steering him towards ways for him to cope with his trauma but also to make sure he was able to release his stress as he struggled talking to somebody about his feelings in case he caused any upset to them.

He only got help after seeing Sonic getting it. It was then in his mind that anybody could get help, and had downplayed his trauma as it not being as 'bad' or 'serious' as others. It had damaged him badly to the point he couldn't take it any more and had destroyed glass items in his home. It was a scary time for all who were in the room at that time.

Another sigh. "I have got to stop this. I just wish I wasn't such a mess. Being anxious is so exhausting. Why can't we just reprogram our minds to be the way we want them to be? Gadge, focus. Lunch. Food."

He grabbed a loaf of bread, then a cutting knife, cutting pieces of bread to prepare for a sandwich. He had been thinking over what to put in it before the phone suddenly rang, prompting him to drop the knife on the counter with a loud 'kling'. Chaos, it was just the phone, curse his anxiety. Heart racing, he needed a moment to breathe, trying to calm himself down from going into a panic attack. He hated this so much as well, curse this anxiety once more!

"Sigh, no one is in danger. It's probably just a stupid call about wanting to take out insurance."

Once he had calmed himself enough to answer the phone, the wolf picked it up from it's home on the wall in the living room and clicked the green button, holding it to his right ear. "Hello?" he greets, wondering who it was who was ringing him. His face changed seconds later, then once more changed, going through expressions. His mouth hung open, opening and closing.

He was absolutely speechless. Something was obviously wrong.

"Oh no, are you serious? No, no, listen-- No, it's okay! I'm coming! Hold on, I'm on my way!" hanging the phone, it was inserted back into his home before the wolf grabbed his things before racing out of the door in a hurry.

 _'Damn it, damn it! Hold on, I'm coming! Don't worry!'_ he thought to himself as he diverted himself through roads and corners, trying to keep steady and not panic from the news he had received a few moments ago. He had to make sure not to bump into anybody on the way to where he needed to be. The day had been going so well as well, why did this have to happen now? Why did bad things always happen to good people?

Why did this have to happen?

What could've happened for Gadget to race off all of a sudden? And who was on the phone? Were things going to be okay?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gadget's turn! He gets to take the spotlight in his chapter! He has to deal with anxiety on a daily basis and the poor thing is just done with it.
> 
> After months of silence, this story is finally updated! Thank you to those who have kudo'ed this story, liked it and such! I still have a ton of work to go into his story but I hope this chapter is worthy of being read! A lot of stuff has happened over the months hence why I was silent but I'm gonna get back to updating this whenever I'm ready to!
> 
> Thanks for sticking around, you're all awesome!


End file.
